Time Changes Us
by Rookblonkorules
Summary: A look at what might have happened if Rachel had lived...


**Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs. If I did, let me tell you what I would not have done. I would not have ended the series on a STUPID CLIFFHANGER!**

 **A/N This is not going to be an action packed fanfiction. It's going to focus on the baby, so if you want action, this si not the fanfic for you. Blame it on the fact that I have a two year old sister and am anticipating the birth of another sister in a month and a half. I've been going baby crazy. I LOVE BABIES! And I loved Rachel and Tobias so I thought it would be nice if she hadn't died. I am also not going to classify this as romance, because once again, the focus is on the baby.**

 **So, I guess if you love babies then this is for you.**

 ** _I would love feedback and I might write another fanfiction with Amanda as a young teen (with action) so if I could hear anyone's thoughts on that, I would appreciate it._**

 **Ummm, when I was fisrt writing this I wasn't sure if I was going to name the baby Hope or Amanda. I decided on Hope and then changed my mind to Amanda after I wrote this. At one part it said Hope instead of Amanda and I just changed that and THANK YOU to the reviewer who pointed that out.**

 **Chapter One**

The sound of gentle footsteps padding down the carpeted stairway preceded the young woman before she gracefully glided into the living room.

Tobias looked up and smiled at his young wife as she stood with her hand resting softly against the cream colored wall, long, blonde hair hanging loosely over her right shoulder, as she tenderly took in the scene before her.

"She has her mother's good looks," he commented, cradling the cooing infant against his cheek.

"But not her spirit," Rachel laughed as she strode, stepping grandly on the gray carpet, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She reached down with a long, slender finger and ran it gently over the baby's silky blonde brow. "No, she's gonna be a gentle soul, like her father. None of her mother's fiery personality there."

She lowered herself to sit next to him and held out her arms like a cradle as Tobias carefully passed the infant to her loving embrace. "You're a good mother, Rachel," he told her, caressing the baby's head full of wispy curls.

She pressed her lips into a thin smile. "But you'd never have guessed that when Marco was calling me Xena." She gave a little laugh that reminded Tobias of a bird song. "The warrior princess in me left when Amanda came along."

"Honey, you could beat up Yeerks any day of the week. You're still Xena, but you're also Rachel."

Rachel snorted. "Thank goodness there's no need to go beating Yeerks up anymore," she answered.

She gazed thoughtfully across the room, her eyes holding that sort of mysterious deep meaning that Tobias could never comprehend. "Tobias, when I look at Amy, it's like I see myself... before I lost that innocence." She looked up with tears glistening at the corners of her eyes like diamonds. Tobias couldn't remember if he'd ever seen her cry before. "Like all of us were b- before the construction site and the Yeerks and the war. No kid should ever have had to go through that. I look at her and... and I think about how different the world is now. I hope it will be kinder to her than it was to us." Amanda began to cry and Rachel turned her attention to her, getting up to pace the room. She rocked her arms back and forth, making motions similar to a ship being lulled by a calming sea or a tree bough being swayed by a gentle wind.

"You loved it then," Tobias observed thoughtfully. "I thought you couldn't live without it."

"I couldn't," Rachel stated bluntly, snapping back to attention. Her philosophical side hadn't stayed in the light very long. "Do you know why?"

"No." Tobias had never really thought there would be a reason behind it. It was something they had all accepted. It had seemed to be a part of Rachel.

"Neither do I." Rachel's shoulders slumped, but her hold on Amanda remained as firm yet gentle as it had been before. "I guess it appealed to that dark, adventurous side of me. Something to commit to, other than shopping and homework."

Tobias shifted his position and his gaze drifted towards the window and the tall oaks that stood in their front yard, making their tiny dream house all the more secluded. In his old, but really not that old, life, he would have been perched in one of those trees. It was an odd feeling to have bare skin instead of feathers, but he had no regrets about giving up life as a hawk to return to that of a human.

There were none of the doubts and wonderings he'd had when he had first regained his morphing ability.

Tobias stood and crossed the distance between them in two large steps. He slid his arms around Amanda, and Rachel yielded the child to him without any remarks.

"It gave my life meaning," Tobias said. "I went from being this useless kid, to suddenly having a purpose."

"Your life always had purpose, Tobias, even when you didn't know it," Rachel said. "When you were created, you were made for this..." she let her gaze move from Tobias to Amanda.

Tobias sat down and folded his hands in his lap. "I guess I didn't know it then," he answered.

...

(two months earlier)

The young nurse in the delivery room frantically tried to reason with Rachel. "Miss! Miss please! You should rest!" she persisted at Rachel's insistence that she was well enough to pace about the room, cradling Amanda.

Tobias was on the verge of feeling bad for her. She didn't know that heckling Rachel always got her to do exactly the opposite of what you said. "Uh, ma'am," he said seriously, but struggling to keep a serious facial expression.

The nurse turned to him, looking stunned. It made him feel uncomfortable.

He had preferred it when almost no one knew he even existed, let alone his name. Being a world-wide celebrity seemed to have changed that. Normal people either thought he was amazing or got freaked out when someone as important as he was decide they were worthy enough to be spoken to.

 _We're just like you!_ Tobias wanted to scream it at them until they all got the point. He swallowed thickly. "You might like to let her do what she wants," he said, jerking his head towards Rachel. Rachel turned her face away to hide the sneaky smile that had appeared on her face.

She was amused by the absurdity of the situation and didn't want to show it.

The nurse looked from him to Rachel and then back at him and Tobias felt a little bad that she looked almost frightened as she mouthed the word "okay." Of course she knew who they were. So of course she would know of Rachel's reputation.

She hurried out of the room, mumbling something about getting Rachel some water to help with any headaches or nausea.

"I don't need water," Rachel muttered through gritted teeth after she had gone. "I just want to be alone with my baby," she looked at Tobias, "and you of course."

"Um, you might want to think about doing what she suggested," Tobias hinted. Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Well, after all, she is a nurse. She's been trained to know what's best for patients."

"Oh, please, I've been through more battles than she could fathom and I'm still here. Walking around won't kill me. Besides, Amanda likes the motion," Rachel countered.

"You kinda morphed your way out of those injuries, Rachel," Tobias reminded her. "It doesn't count."

"Tell me that next time you fight a Hork-Bajir," Rachel said, losing interest. At least at that point she decided to sit down.

It was easier to admire Amanda's perfect features that way.

That was what Tobias guessed anyway. Rachel at least seemed oblivious to anything else in the room.

Tobias moved across the room and sat beside her. Rachel smiled at him and wordlessly handed Amanda to her father's waiting arms.

...

They both had been adamant that everything surrounding Amanda be private, Rachel aggressively so. No front page stories featuring headlines about the 'newest Animorph.' They wanted their joy to be private shared with family and the four friends who had gone through everything with them.

Already, Rachel's mom had come five times in the past two days, dragging along Sarah and Jordan, now twelve and sixteen years old. Aunt Sarah and Aunt Jordan, although Sarah preferred 'Auntie.' She already had six more scheduled and arranged.

Tobias's mother, Loren, had already visited twice, joining Naomi and the girls once.

Then finally came Jake, along with his two parents. Tobias knew that Rachel could no longer bear to look her aunt and uncle in the eye. Not after what had happened to Tom.

He knew that they knew that their son was dead, but did they know it had been their niece who had ended his life, under the orders of their youngest son?

The haggard look, only briefly replaced with a rusty, out-of-use smile as he held Amanda for the first time, showed Jake had been feeling the same way.

Rachel had spent the time after they'd left staring absently out the window, leaving, while he held Amanda.

"Rachel?" he finally asked.

Sighing, Rachel turned away from the window, no sign of tears or anything except for a little sadness locked deep inside her eyes. "You okay?" He felt Amanda stir in his arms and a small whimper came from the tiny form. He leaned down, rubbing his finger over the soft skin and the blue eyes slowly opened before resting on his face.

The small mouth opened in a yawn, but no sound came out.

"I'm fine. I was just... remembering... him." The words were spoken in a tight voice, but he noticed her face softened as she took in Amanda. "She loves you, Tobias. Look at the way she's staring at you."

 _ **A/N Maybe I'll write another chapter explaining away Cassie's absence or edit this to include her, but I honestly wasn't sure how to add her in.**_


End file.
